Completing our look at walking wisely, we come to the part of Ephesians 5:15–21 that tells us we are unwise to attempt the Christian life without maintaining Holy Spirit fullness. After speaking of the wisdom of walking according to the will of the Lord, the paragraph continues, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit” (v. 18).
This is a good verse to raise the question, “What’s in a verb?” The verb is “be filled.” Four considerations of this verb help inform a wise walk that is undertaken with the fullness of the Holy Spirit. First the verb is an imperative. This tells us that Spirit-fullness is not an option to be chosen or neglected at will. As a command it is expected of us.
Then the verb is a passive one. This tells us that Spirit-fullness is not our achievement but something we receive from beyond ourselves. Active verbs describe what we do but passive ones refer to what is done to us or for us. Being filled with the Spirit is a divine action upon and within our hearts.
Third the verb is in the present tense. In the New Testament this is the tense of continuous or repeated action. Spirit-fullness is thus not just a one-time encounter. We are to be continuously filled as we face challenges and opportunities that require more than human wisdom and power.
For every believer
Finally the verb is plural in number. This tells us the command is for every believer not just a select few who might happen to be in visible ministries. Fullness of the Holy Spirit is a privilege God grants to every Christian. We are never wiser than when we take to heart what God makes available. After all the Father in heaven knows best.
After issuing the command about being filled our passage goes on to suggest evidences that testify to walking wisely by living in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Praise is one such evidence. Praise, both public and private, is evidence of Spirit-fullness, which our passage expresses as “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (v.19). The public part is “speaking to one another” and the private part is “in your heart.”
Spirit of thanksgiving
Another evidence of Spirit-fullness is gratitude. The continuation of the passage says, “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 20). Walking wisely by maintaining the fullness of the Holy Spirit begets a spirit of thanksgiving, both for the grand and the commonplace blessings God gives.
At the end of the paragraph is yet another indication of the fullness of the Spirit, which is mutual submission. The final clause of the paragraph adds, “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ” (v. 21). When the Holy Spirit is controlling a believer such characteristics as a boastful, self-assertive or overbearing spirit is displaced by Christ-like qualities, such as humility and restraint. Given free reign in us the Holy Spirit makes us willing to submit to others in appropriate ways.
In summary our last three studies about walking in wisdom set before us the winsome traits of living carefully, using time profitably, seeking to know and do God’s will and maintaining the fullness of the Spirit. To live below these aspirations is to go about the Christian life unwisely, knowing that we will come up short of God’s expectations.
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